This invention relates to the extraction of a portion of the gases from warm surface water prior to pumping said water in parallel paths to a common plenum chamber.
In applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,439 dated Jan. 26, 1971, there is disclosed a method and apparatus for removing virtually all of the gases from a stream of warm surface sea water by deaerating and evaporating said stream. The deaeration is effected by moving a stream of water through a designated space and exhausting said space above said stream to the atmosphere by means of an air compressor, thus subjecting the stream of water to a reduced pressure at which dissolved air comes out of solution. It is important that the stream of warm sea water be freed of dissolved air before it flows through the boiler or heat exchanger as the dissolved air tends to create corrosion problems with respect to the heat exchangers.
In addition to the foregoing another problem that is likely to be found in a sea thermal power plant is one of barnacles and other crustaceae attaching themselvels to the surfaces of the heat exchangers. This results in said heat exchangers becoming fouled and plugged up to the extent that very little water will flow through them. The water supply for the heat exchangers or boilers is accomplished by a suitable pump delivering the warm water to said boilers and eventually to the open ocean. One of the disadvantages of such an arrangement is the inability of a single pump to supply a multitude of boilers or heat exchangers as well as the complete shut down of the sea thermal power plant if the pump has to be replaced or repaired.